construction
gb/kənstɹˈʌkʃən/ us/kənstɹˈʌkʃən/
A2
Anglais
~ 1600
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
action
1
process of building something
The work of making buildings, roads, or other large things.
Schéma d’usage :
[construction] of [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'construction' (the process) with 'building' (the result).
Synonymes
building (A more general term for making structures; slightly less technical.)
Antonymes
demolition (The act of tearing down structures, which is the opposite of building them.)
Collocations
under construction
|construction site
|construction project
|construction worker
|construction materials
Thèmes
work
|infrastructure
|engineering
|housing
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The construction of the new shopping mall will take two years.
- Heavy traffic is expected due to road construction.
- She works in the construction industry.
- The construction of the bridge was delayed by bad weather.
- Construction began on the stadium last summer.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The construction of the school will finish in June.
- My uncle works in construction.
- There is a lot of construction in our city.
- We saw the construction of a new road.
- Construction is noisy near my house.
Nom
B1
entity
2
a structure that has been built
Something that has been built, like a house or bridge.
Schéma d’usage :
a [type] construction
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may overuse this sense when 'building' is more natural in everyday speech.
Synonymes
structure (A neutral term for something that has been built; not limited to buildings.)
Antonymes
ruin (A destroyed or decayed structure, opposite of a complete and intact one.)
Collocations
modern construction
|wooden construction
|temporary construction
Thèmes
architecture
|infrastructure
|housing
|work
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- That glass-and-steel construction is the new city library.
- The ancient stone constructions still stand today.
- It's a temporary construction for the festival.
- The architect designed a unique construction on the waterfront.
Exemples pédagogiques
- That construction is our new office.
- This old construction is very strong.
- They built a wooden construction in the park.
- The bridge is a big construction.
Nom
B2
entity
3
arrangement of words or phrases
The way words are put together in a sentence.
Schéma d’usage :
[grammatical/linguistic] construction
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this with 'translation' or 'composition', which are different activities.
Synonymes
structure (A broader term for arrangement; 'construction' is more specific to grammar or style.)
Antonymes
disorganization (Lack of orderly arrangement, opposite of structured word order.)
Collocations
grammatical construction
|sentence construction
|awkward construction
Thèmes
language
|grammar
|education
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- This sentence uses a rare grammatical construction.
- The passive voice is a common English construction.
- That awkward construction makes the sentence hard to read.
Exemples pédagogiques
- This is a long sentence construction.
- I learned a new grammar construction today.
- That construction is not correct in English.
Nom
C1
entity
4
interpretation of meaning or intent
The meaning you understand from what someone says or writes.
Schéma d’usage :
put [a/an] [adjective] construction on [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may not recognize this formal/legal meaning and confuse it with building-related senses.
Synonymes
interpretation (A broader term; 'construction' is often used in formal or legal contexts for interpretation.)
Antonymes
misinterpretation (An incorrect understanding, which contrasts with an intended or accurate interpretation.)
Collocations
put a positive construction on
|legal construction
Thèmes
law
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- The court put a strict construction on the law.
- You could put a different construction on his words.
- Her friendly tone allowed a positive construction of her remarks.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He put a bad construction on my words.
- The judge gave a new construction to the law.
- We can put many constructions on this text.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
construction
API
GB/kənstɹˈʌkʃən/
US/kənstɹˈʌkʃən/
Syllabes et accentuation
con - struc - tion (3 syllabes)
Stress on 2nd syllable (struc)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: construction
- Plural: construction, constructions
Famille de mots
Forms
constructions
noun
Core family
construct
verb B1
constructive
adjective B2
Related words
constructively
adverb
constructor
noun
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
reconstruct
verb B2
reconstruction
noun B2
Expressions
put a positive construction on something
1/pˈʊt ə pˈɑzɪtɪv kənstɹˈʌkʃən ˈɔn sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
formal
interpret as good or hopeful
To understand something as meaning something good or hopeful.
Exemples
- She tried to put a positive construction on his comments.
- We can put a positive construction on these results despite the setbacks.
under construction
1/ˈʌndɚ kənstɹˈʌkʃən/
fixed phrase
being built right now
Not finished yet; still being built.
Exemples
- The new library is under construction and will open next year.
- This website is under construction and some pages are missing.
construction site
1/kənstɹˈʌkʃən sˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
place where building work occurs
An area where people are building something.
Exemples
- Children should not play near a construction site.
- Hard hats must be worn at all times on the construction site.
- The construction site was noisy all day.
- We passed a noisy construction site on our way to school.